How To Become A Dog Groomer

So, you want to know how to become a dog groomer. Well, we'll start off with the good news—there are no certifications or licenses that you must have in order to become a dog groomer. However, we highly suggest you get one anyway. You won't be so much as considered for a job as a dog groomer without a certification or at least several years of dog grooming experience.

1. Find a dog grooming school. There are some schools that only cover dog grooming, but most cover at least dogs and cats. There are grooming schools across the country, big and small, some even online. Enroll in whichever fits you best, and whichever is most accredited and looked highly upon. We do not suggest online grooming schools primarily because it's better to learn dog grooming hands on than from a book. If you say you were certified online, you may also get laughed at by potential employers.
2. Get as much hands-on experience as possible. Many dog grooming salons offer positions as dog bathers or grooming assistants. Generally, your primary tasks will be to bathe, shampoo, rinse, condition, comb, brush, blow dry and possibly clip nails and express the anal glands. If you can't find a job doing this (although it is highly recommended that you do), you can also help in the community. You could offer to bathe your neighbors' dogs, or offer to groom dogs at the local rescue shelter for free. Explain to them that you're working on becoming certified as a groomer and that you want to get more hands-on experience. The more you get, the more it will help. You can do all this while attending the grooming school that you choose.
3. Study, study, study! It's a good idea to do research on your own. You'll need to learn about all the different breeds, learn what cuts are typical for those breeds and learn about all the different grooming tools and their uses. There's a lot to learn, so prepare yourself mentally to take it all in. Go at a pace that you can handle. If you try learning everything at once, it wont stick.
4. Get a job, or open your own shop. Hopefully your grooming school will go into detail about all that is required to open your own dog grooming salon. There are laws you must follow, equipment you must have and many different ways to own and operate your business. It does require money to start up a business, which can be risky in any economy. The other option is to find a job working as a dog groomer for someone else. It doesn't give you as much freedom as owning your own business, but it is a great way to start off.